zf 8 speed oil change

[genpk]

the tc heavier mopar oil just says “transfer case oil”
as opposed to the standard stuff which just says ATF4.

[drover]

Thats the stuff that was $52/lt and is used in the WJ TC's, they had the NVcases while our WK2's have the MP3023 cases, be interesting if its okay in these cases as while confirming my old info sheet I found Fiat confirmed that Mobil 424 is okay to use instead of NV transfer case oil,(in NV cases FWD ones not 2WD) last I looked it was priced way better than the Mopar at the moment around $10 a lt......... certainly might follow this up some more... The more alternatives I find to Mopar the better, especially as the nearest Jeep place is 200km away and when on the road never see one, actually the only time I may use Mopar/Jeep parts is if I order from Rockauto and then not often.

The info you have been told may be from way back when the NV cases first came out they had the wrong oil which caused chatter and a TCB came out advising the use of the one in your photo, hence why many Jeepers in Sth America, USA and here use 424 instead in their NV cases but with the MP cases I haven't heard anything about it, its all about friction modifiers in the juice I think....

You must always be sure of the type/version of your TC, Auto and Diffs fitted as not all of them use the same fluid though they may have the same prefix.

[layback40]

Originally Posted by drover

Thats the stuff that was $52/lt and is used in the WJ TC's, they had the NVcases while our WK2's have the MP3023 cases, be interesting if its okay in these cases as while confirming my old info sheet I found Fiat confirmed that Mobil 424 is okay to use instead of NV transfer case oil,(in NV cases FWD ones not 2WD) last I looked it was priced way better than the Mopar at the moment around $10 a lt......... certainly might follow this up some more... The more alternatives I find to Mopar the better, especially as the nearest Jeep place is 200km away and when on the road never see one, actually the only time I may use Mopar/Jeep parts is if I order from Rockauto and then not often.

The info you have been told may be from way back when the NV cases first came out they had the wrong oil which caused chatter and a TCB came out advising the use of the one in your photo, hence why many Jeepers in Sth America, USA and here use 424 instead in their NV cases but with the MP cases I haven't heard anything about it, its all about friction modifiers in the juice I think....

You must always be sure of the type/version of your TC, Auto and Diffs fitted as not all of them use the same fluid though they may have the same prefix.

Much off the issue with the older mopar drive train is some, especially the 5 spd manual use yellow metal in some components. This is a big no for using any oil that has molly containing additives as molly peals the surface off yellow metal. In the older gearboxes they use yellow metal for sincro cones & some bushes. Molly is a great friction modifier but the base metal can be in trouble.
Anything with wet clutches can also be in trouble, along with roller bearings. Its the same reason you dont use EP grease in wheel bearings. Too much slip.

[drover]

Yeppers, just like gear/diff oil, too many worry about the grade when the GL is the first thing to check then go for the grade . If the specs says you want 85W90 GL4 then dont put GL5 in it you will be sorry and vice versa.....
With alloy cases and all sorts of mixed metals you have to be careful now.

[genpk]

got the transmission oil and pan changed.
Mechanic got 4.5 litres out, old oil looked a little worn , magnets in the old pan
had a small amount of grey sludge but all in all seem pretty good for 100,000 km.
Old Diff oil and transfer case oil looked good but replaced it anyway.
I gave the mechanic 2 litres of Mopar transfer case oil thinking that would be heaps but he reckoned it didnt quite over flow but was within a couple of mil from the over flow hole so left it at that level.
Being i have about 3.5 litres of auto fluid left ill wait and eventually undo the pan drain,drop 3.5 litres out and refill.
Even with only just over half the oil replaced the transmission changes are alot more tighter and smooth.
Re the hard to access 4 torx screws on the pan, mechanic reckons an easy way to access in the future
would be to drill 4 small holes in the metal cross beam that obscures the screws in line with the screws.

[JnK]

Just for a bit of added information and experience....for a 2015 CRD at 103K with no issues and drives beautifully. Probably 65K of towing our 2200kg van in the overall travel.
Local "prestige" transmission service centres quoted between $760 to $900 for the pan and oil replacement - neither used genuine parts or oil - but were prepared to warrant the work.
Local dealer quoted "around" $1200. They also priced a Mopar pan at $580 and Mopar 8/9 speed ZF oil at $32/l. The parts guy was adamant that I also need a gasket at $68 - despite me relating I understood that the gasket came with the pan.
So I decided to do it myself.
Aftermarket pans seem to be readily available at varying prices from $170 and up.
ZF oil is not readily available and priced around $60/l from a number of suppliers but few actually had stock.
With a bit of internetting I found a genuine ZF pan from a switched on mob in Eagle Farm (Brisbane) at $238 (picked up) and purchased 5l of the genuine oil from the dealer. Refused the gasket. Genuine pan and ZF (Mopar) oil for total $398.
The new pan comes with new bolts and fill plug - and an integrated gasket.
I don't have access to a hoist but the vehicle does have QL so jacked it to OR2 and easily slid under.
The front four pan bolts under the crossmember are awkward - but by releasing the rear gearbox mount, the back of the gearbox can be jacked up about 20mm and that made access easier. There is one front corner bolt that has oil cooler lines close and I had to wedge them away to get clearance. If you have reasonably dextrous fingers and can do things by feel, there won't be too much trouble. I didn't find them unreasonable....
4.5l approx of oil out - darkish in colour - and the four pan magnets had just a coating of greasy metallic sludge. Looked like a happy box, but at 100k it was time for the change.
4.75l of oil in, following the ZF oil change kit instruction for fill and check. The pan filter would have sucked up a bit of oil so likely accounts for the slight difference out/in.
Not a super technical job, took about 4hours (with lots of fiddling about) - on a hoist would be far less than that.
Very satisfying all the same. No discernible driving difference.
John

[genpk]

sounds like the same amount of oil i got out of my box (4.5L)
I wonder if you measured tge exact amount of oil out and just refilled with the exact same amount , you could probably get away without doing all the oil temp
re level and gear changing thing.
Save a bit of time .